in front and tapering to a fine point behind. Colour various, brown, gray, or yellowish,
always more or less spotted and freckled with lilac, gray or brown, and opaque white!
Dorsal tentacles simple, short, conical, somewhat truncated,, and very contractile, generally
brown with white or yellowish tips, sometimes very dark, and occasionally pink or orange
coloured. Oral tentacles short, about the same length or a little longer than the dorsal pair,
pale in colour, and set wide apart on the head, the outline of which in front is a little curved
and slightly notched in the centre. Between the two pairs of tentacles there is usually a
triangular yellowish white mark, formed by confluent spots of opaque matter; the angles are
prolonged into lines, the basal passing into the oral tentacles, the apical, going backwards,
passes between the dorsal tentacles, and reaching the swelling indicating the region of the
heart, expands and forms there another triangular white spot having its base backwards;
from the lateral angles of this spot the white is continued in broken lines round the sides of
the heart, and uniting behind it, forms a broadish line that passes some little way down the
centre of the back. From this arrangement of the white markings, the freckling produces a
dark spot over the centre of the heart. These markings, are not always, present, and are
sometimes entirely wanting: pale lines, however, bordered with, dark, usually indicate their
position. The back is also blotched or thickly spotted with brown- and white; the dark spots
becoming thicker and more intense on the borders of the white: markings. Bronchia very
numerous, conical, stout and flattened, having a curved leaf like outlinewhen. contracted, but
capable of great extension when the animal is'in action. Their colour-is usually brown, from
a thick freckling of that colour over the surface, intermixed with white: when the white
predominates it gives the branch!® a grayish appearance. This freckling is occasionally lilac
or gray, and does not extend to the base and under surface. The tips are whitish. The
central gland is yellowish-brown and much lobated, but seldom distinctly visible outside,
except on the under side or towards-the base. The extreme lateral papillse are often
pinkish or salmon-coloured. The papillae are set in from eighteen to twenty closely
imbricated rows of twelve to twenty-four each, sloping transversely across the sides, and
leaving the centre of the back bare in front, but nearly meeting behind. The front rows
extend very far forward at the sides of the head, nearly reaching to. the, bases of the oral
tentacles; the papillae on this part are small. Foot transparent white, showing through
Its surface the rose-coloured ovaries, rather broad, especially in front, where it is a little
convex in outline and deeply grooved, extending into short-angles- at the sides. I-t terminates-
in a point not far behind the branchial, but the animal has the power of occasionally
elongating and attenuating it to a considerable extent backwards.
The heart beats seventy-two to seventy-six times in a minute.
Foilspapillosa varies so much both in form and colour, that it has givqn rise to many
spurious species, especially in its young state, when the number of papillae is also fewer. It
will be necessary, therefore, to particularise some of the more prominent varieties. There
are two forms met with on the Northumberland coast; the one is dark brown and rather
broad, with the branchiae very numerous and stout; the other, which is usually grqyish, is
more slender in its proportions, and has the branchiae and tentacles a little longer. A
yellowish variety is also occasionally brought in from deeper water, the young state of which is
our.E obtusahs. We also now consider our B. rosea to be the young state, of a variety, with
rose-coloured branchiae, having once taken a full-grown individual of that colour; this
had the papillae much covered with opaque white. On the coasts of Devonshire and
Cornwall, an orange or buff variety is more common. In Torbay we got it very large,
with the branchiae yellowish or fawn-coloured, speckled with brown and white, the back
being yellowish spotted with lilac. At the Salt Rock in Salcombe Estuary we found
an orange variety very adundant: the branchiae varied from pale buff to reddish orange,
spotted with white; there were very few with brown spots, and these were confined to the
head and front rows of branchiae only; the triangular mark was generally present on the head,
and the back was always opaque white, occasioned by confluent spots. The colour of this
species on the Cheshire coast, according to Mr. Price, is always a buff ground sprinkled with
purple; and the dorsal papillae powdered with silvery white towards the tips, but varying
greatly in intensity of tint from nearly black to fawn-colour, and a uniform horny appearance.
Eolis Lesliana, of Macgillivray, which we have no hesitation in referring to this species, has
the branchiae of a faint pinkish tint, margined and tipped with white.
There can: be little doubt that this species is the ‘Doris spinis mollibus hirsuta of Baster,
described as two inches in length, and found on the coast of Holland: and as Linnaeus in his
1 Systerna Natural quotes Baster’s figure as representing his Limax papillosus, we have followed
Montagu, Fleming, and other British authors in considering our animal the true Linnean
species, though it may not be the Umax papillosus of the ‘ Fauna Suecica,’ which it would be
impossible now to identify. French authors have considered this species the Eolis Guvieri, on
the authority of the synonyms given by Lamarck, but an examination of Cuvier’s description
and figures will be sufficient to show that this is not the species described in the ‘ Mémoires
des Mollusques.’ That species is represented with long processes at the sides of the foot,
which, Cuvier 'calls a third pair of tentacles, a character not to be found in E. papillosa ;
besides, the animal is more slender, and the tentacles and branchiae much longer than would
be- the case with the latter when preserved in spirits. There are other Eolides coming
much; nearer to Cuvier’s species than E. papillosa, but we are afraid, from the necessary
imperfection of a description taken from spirit specimens in this genus, the identification of it
will be very difficult, if not impossible.
This species spawns during the spring and summer months, when it may often be found
plentifully under stones between tide-marks, on a rocky or shingly coast, especially where the
bottom is a little muddy. It generally occurs a considerable way above low-water mark, and
in situations left dry; rarely in pools, as is commonly the case with the Eolides. The spawn
consists of a gelatinous cord, very much convoluted and waved, so that its spiral form is not
readily detected at first sight. It is attached to stones in such a manner as to give it a
festooned appearance when floating in the water. The eggs are scattered irregularly through
the cord in groups, interrupted at intervals: each contains two or three embryos. The mass
is occasionally white, but has generally a pinkish tinge* and is sometimes distinctly rose-
coloured. Professor E. Forbes states that the dark variety he called E. Zetlandica has the
spawn pure white. We have observed that the spawn of the orange variety found on the
south coast is also white, but in other places the white and pinkish kinds are intermixed
promiscuously, so that no character can be derived from it.
Eolis papillosa is pretty generally diffused through the seas of Northern Europe; and we
believe has been found on the shores of North America. We have no account of its
occurrence in the Mediterranean or any more southern locality.